


The Blue Altean

by foldedwingsmakesyoufeeltired



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Lance is not a prince, Other, just a really unlucky altean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 12:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17022840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foldedwingsmakesyoufeeltired/pseuds/foldedwingsmakesyoufeeltired
Summary: The Paladins find an abandoned Galra ship, literally just floating though space. Knowing any information they could get was valuable, they set off inside to see what they could find. Only, they realize, the ship wasn't as empty as they thought. And the person they find, he's gonna need their help. Especially with the trauma he's suffered at the hands of Galra.





	1. Easy Mission, Hard to Process

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr. Find me at folded-wings. Not sure why you would do that though.

The mission was supposed to be simple. Easy. And it was. If you ignored the small bump that had Allura go into shock.

They had found a Galran ship, completely abandoned as far as they could tell. Deciding that it was worth a look - any information on the Galra they could get was invaluable - they had decided to sneak aboard. Despite being certain no one was inside, they entered fully prepared. They could never be too careful.

They had decided to split into groups. Pidge and Shiro. Allura, Hunk and Keith. Flying inside the Green and Blue lions, they descended upon the ship.

Everyone had been surprised when Allura said the Blue lion wanted to come on this mission. Her relationship with Blue was… iffy, to say the least. She could really only fly her when Voltron was needed. Blue had made it clear that Allura was not her Paladin, but would accept her as a Pilot.

To say Allura was hurt was an understatement.

But she couldn’t force the lion to bond.

So when Blue stated she was coming too, Allura had been beyond thrilled. Keith found he couldn’t join in her excitement. He was suspicious, but he couldn’t exactly voice his thoughts. How could he? Sorry, Allura, your lion suddenly wants you to fly her, so let’s not do that?

So, relunctantly, he followed the Princess and Hunk onto Blue.

As the three explored the ship, they came across nothing. The entire thing was strangely empty, save for a few broken and powered down sentries. It was like the Galra had purposly cleared the place out. But why?

It was eerie, exploring something that used to be so full of life, no matter how evil. There wasn’t any power on the ship, forcing the Paladins to use flashlights as they explored. Watching shadows dance at the coner of their eyes only made things worse. Keith never imagined he would be this bothered by something like this. He hated how tense he was, especially since it seemed to be for nothing.

Hunk couldn’t help but voice his thoughts out loud. “Pidge? Shiro? Are you almost done? This place is seriously creeping me out.”

Keith’s comm crackled as it came to life, and it was quickly followed by Shiro’s voice. “Almost, buddy, just another dobash or two. We’ll be out of here soon. Have you guys found anything yet?”

“Other then empty halls?” Keith asked sarcastically.

“Nothing,” Allura confirmed. “Let us hope you find information on this ship. I would hate for this to-Keith?”

Said Paladin had suddenly stopped without warning. He stared at the closed door, wondering how he was going to get through. His instincts were screaming for him to get in. Keith knew he had good instincts, and he wasn’t about to start ignoring them.

“Dude, what’s wrong?” Hunk asked. “You’re freaking us out.”

“There’s something behind this door.” Keith gripped at the edges, trying to force the door open. Much to his frustration, it didn’t budge.

He prepared to pull out his Bayard to cut his way through when Allura stepped up. “Ready your Bayards,” she warned, voice low.

Nodding, he held up his red sword, and Hunk activated his canon, aiming it at the door. Once Allura saw that they were ready, she used her Altean strength, forcing the door to open with a quiet hiss.

The room was the first one with any power that they had come across. The purple lights were on, but they were flickering, threatening to lose the little power it had. The room was pretty empty, save for five cryo-pods along the walls. They were all open, except for the one in the middle. Keith distinctly saw the silhouette of a figure inside.

He shared a look with Hunk and Allura, before silently stepping making his way in. His eyes trailed the room, searching for anything out of place. Upon seeing nothing, Keith finally relaxed. As he approached the cryo-pod, he peered inside.

“Is it Galra?” Hunk asked nervously from behind him. He had lowered his Bayard, but didn’t deactivate it.

“I can’t tell,” Keith answered. “Allura, what should we do?”

Before she could answer, Shiro spoke to them. “Alright, we’re done here. What did you guys find?”

“A cryo-chamber,” Allura answered. “They are all empty, except for one. We can not see who is inside, but I do not believe it to be Galra. Shall we open it?”

“Yes,” Shiro answered without a second to think. “We can’t just leave anyone here - Galra or no. Give us a few ticks, and me and Pidge will meet with you.”

Eyeing the panel in front of the pod, Keith nodded. They would need Shiro’s prosthetic to get through.

As they waited, they studied the figure inside. He appeared to be kind of scrawny, and if Keith had to guess, the stranger was about his height. It was hard to tell with them elevated as they were. They couldn’t see anything else about the prisoner.

The pod they sat in was similar in design to the ones in the castle, though it was purple instead, and had more of a square shape.

Finally, Shiro and Pidge arrived. Pidge held her laptop against her chest as she studied the figure inside. Shiro strolled in, eyes flickering between the stranger and the control panel. Once he stood in front of it, he glanced at the waiting group. “Hunk, you prepare to catch them. Keith, Allura, you two stand guard in case they don’t realize we’re here to help. Pidge, you watch the hallway.”

Once everyone had moved into position - with only slight protesting from Hunk - Shiro placed his prosthetic arm against the control panel. A tick later, Shiro was allowed through, and the pod opened with a loud hiss. Steam escaped from the pod as it opened, sending cold air into the room. Everyone stayed quiet, watching the stranger as he fell.

“No! Please! Don’t!” The stranger threw his arms into the air protectively around his face just before he fell into Hunk’s arms. Hunk just barely managed to avoid dodging the flailing limbs without dropping him.

“L-let go of me!” The stranger pushed weakly against Hunk, eyes closed tightly. Hunk apologized and released him, but that proved to be a terrible idea as he began to fall to the side. Keith moved and caught the prisoner - it was undeniable that he had been one, due to his clothes.

“Hey, easy now,” Shiro spoke up, gently placing his flesh hand on the prisoner’s shoulder. He hated how he flinched under his hand, but nothing could be done. “We’re not here to hurt you.”

Finally, the stranger looked up, confusion and pain written on his face. Everyone gasped, and the sound of Allura’s Bayard hitting the floor echoed through the room.

When they had only seen the strangers brown hair and mocha skin, it had been easy to mistake him as human. That itself would’ve been shocking, but this was not the case. When he looked up, they saw the undeniable light purple markings and pointed ears that they had only ever seen on two people - Allura and Coran.

“You’re Altean…” Allura breathed, hands covering her mouth.

The Altean sluggishly looked towards her. His eyes went wide as he stared. “Princess Allura…?” he managed before kneeling over, holding his side. That’s when they noticed the blood seeping through his fingers.

“We’ll handle introductions later.” Shiro took the Altean’s arm, wrapping it around his shoulder. As Keith copied him, Shiro placed his arm against the Altean’s wound, wincing as he felt the blood beneath his fingers. “Come on, we need to get you out of here.” Everyone filed out of the room, though Allura could only stand there. “Allura, we need to go. He might die if we don’t hurry.”

That was enough to snap her back to reality. “Of course.” She reached down and snatched her Bayard from off the floor, before following. “Coran, ready a healing pod,” she spoke into the comms.

She realized a tick too late that she shouldn’t have said that. The Altean struggled with more strength than he had against Shiro and Keith, desperation marking his face. “N-n-n-n-no please no. I-I can’t go back in. Please. I-I j-just got out! I thought you said you wouldn’t!”

He managed to push Keith off of him, but Shiro held tightly, accidentally squeezing the wound. He yelled out in pain, causing Shiro to let go. The Altean fell away, only to get caught by Keith.

“Stop,” he groaned. “I-”

“We wont force you into the pod,” Shiro interrupted, picking up the Altean again. “We’ll find another way to heal your injuries. Is that okay?”

A moment later, he finally nodded. “Fine,” he murmured, head lolling as he stopped struggling. Shiro and Keith picked up the pace, dragging the Altean. They needed to hurry.

As Allura informed Coran on the situation, Shiro attempted to have a conversation, in hopes of keeping the stranger awake. “What’s your name?”

He blinked a few times, as if he needed a moment to remember. “…Lance…” he decided on.

“Okay Lance, do you know if there’s anyone else on the ship?”

He shook his head, but stopped when a wave of dizziness hit him. “No. N-no, they’re all dead.”

“Even the Galrans?” Shiro hated to ask these questions, but he didn’t want to leave anyone else on the ship.

That question had Lance look up and a moment of clarity came to him for the first time. “What? Where are the Galra? T-they were here last time I got out…”

“We were hoping you would know. Sorry buddy.”

Lance closed his eyes and let his head go limp again. “’S not your fault.”

“So, where are you from?”

“…Altea…”

Had the circumstance been different, Shiro would have stopped moving. He did notice Allura had paused, but continued. He was already dreading having to tell Lance what had happened 10 000 years ago. But, that was a conversation for later.

In truth, Shiro had hoped for any other answer. If Lance had been captured much more recently, then that ment that some Alteans had survived. But if this boy was from Altea… it was possible he was in cryo for over ten thousand years, just like Allura and Coran. But clearly, he didn’t get through unscathed.

As they continued through the ship, Shiro continued talking with Lance, asking him simple questions. Keith joined in when he saw Lance threatening to lose consciousness. He hoped a second voice might keep him awake a little longer, and it seemed to work for a little while.

Finally, they reached the Blue and Green lions. Lance lifted his head and stared in awe. “Voltron…?”

“Yeah,” Keith answered. “We’re the Paladins.”

“Cool… Wait… What happened to the… to the old Paladins?”

Nobody could bring themselves to explain. It wasn’t like they knew the answer anyways.

As they climbed into the blue lion, Allura taking lead so she could pilot, Shiro finally spoke up. “We’ll take care of your injuries first, okay? Then we’ll explain as much as we can.”

Lance leaned completely against Shiro, closing his eyes. He hummed in acknowledgement to Shiro’s words, but he didn’t the energy to do more than that. Finally, his hold on consciousness slipped away, and he fell into an uneasy rest.

As the two Lions approached the castle, Allura failed to notice Blue slipping from her mind.


	2. Awake But Not Aright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is on the Castle of Lions, but isn't so trusting, despite recognizing one person.

“He is currently in stable condition.”

The moment the words left Coran’s mouth, the tension drained out of the room. The only thing stopping Allura from slumping completely against the couch was her status of a Princess. She still needed to be strong, despite needing support the most.

“It is my hope that as soon as Lance is a little more coherent, I can convince him to get inside a healing pod. As of now, I have left Shiro to watch over him.”

“You’re not going to put him in a pod anyways?” Keith didn’t intend for that to sound rude, but he was curious. As far as he could tell, the longer he stayed out of the pod, the less chance of survival Lance had.

“As much as I would like to throw him inside one, unfortunately, I fear that it will not do Lance any good for his mental health. I wish for his full consent before placing him inside one. However…” Coran pulled at his mustache thoughtfully, a look of regret coming to him. “If it comes down to it, we may have to force Lance.”

Allura took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. “We will worry about that when we get there. For now, we must be grateful he is alright.”

Coran nodded. “I agree. Did you find anything when you returned to the ship?”

Hunk shook his head. “Actually, the thing exploded when we left. We must’ve triggered a trap that we missed the first time.”

Pidge slumped into her seat. “I’m not having any luck with what I did manage to find. I’m going to keep looking. If I don’t find anything on Matt or my dad, maybe I’ll find something on Lance.”

“Excellent idea!” Coran beamed, only for his mood to deflate immediately. “As always, I must warn you to proceed with caution. I only have a small idea on what they’ve done to the poor boy. If its too much, then don’t be afraid to stop.”

“I’ll be fine,” Pidge waved off Coran’s worry.

“I’ll help her,” Hunk put in, though he looked a little green. Hunk had gotten a lot better with this kind of stuff since they first found Voltron, though he didn’t like to purposely search for it. However, he knew someone needed keep on eye on the Green Paladin, who’s search for knowledge sometimes went a little too far.

Nodding with their answer as the two left, Coran turned to Keith. “Can you check on Shiro and Lance, Keith? I wish to speak with the Princess for a moment, and I am uncertain how Shiro is holding up.”

“Yeah, of course.” Keith quickly stood up, silently scolding himself for forgetting to ask Shiro if he was alright. He wasn’t sure how his brother must be feeling, seeing another prisoner. It couldn’t have brought back pleasant memories.

It didn’t take long for Keith to reach the infirmary. The door opened, greeting Keith to the sight he expected-the Altean laying on one of the beds wrapped in bandages, and Shiro sitting next the bed, leaning on his hands, lost in thought. What he didn’t expect was to see Lance in a cryo-suit, though it made sense. The only alternative was his prisoner uniform.

“Hey.” Shiro looked up with a small smile as Keith approached.

“Hey,” Keith greeted. “You okay?”

Sighing, the Black Paladin closed his eyes and leaned back. “Yeah, I’m fine. We’ve met other prisoners before.” Shiro winced, shaking his head. “Doesn’t make his situation any better.”

Keith stared at Lance’s face for a moment. His eyebrows were furrowed in pain, despite being asleep. He kept twitching too, almost as if he was trying to get something off of him. For a moment, Keith thought Lance’s ears changed to be round like a humans’, before going back to normal.

“He keeps doing that.” Keith looked back at Shiro. “Sometimes his ears change shape, sometimes his markings disappear. I’m pretty sure he grew a couple of inches once too. I don't know why he keeps changing form. Coran’s afraid it might not be something he can control anymore.”

Keith crossed his arms, thoughtful. “We’ll just have to wait until he wakes up.”

“After we get him in a pod.”

Lance twitched again, mumbling something-whether it was Altean, or nothing at all, they weren’t sure-before going still again.

After a moment of waiting for Lance to do anything again, Keith spoke up. “Do you think we’ll even be able to convince him to go in one? He freaked out when we mentioned it before. Who knows how he’ll react when he finds out how much time has passed.”

“Like you said, we’ll just have to wait.”

The two continued talking in hushed tones, mostly of Keith reporting that about the Galra ship.

Keith had just been about to suggest that Shiro should take a break from watching Lance, when suddenly the Altean gasped, and jolted awake.

The Paladins were by his side in a second. “Hey, easy now.” Shiro eased Lance back to lying down. “You don’t want to make your injuries worse.”

Lance resisted, eyes flickering around frantically. Finally, he zeroed in on Shiro, who was still holding him down. “L-let go of me. P-please.”

Lance looked surprised when Shiro released him and raised his hands in a surrender gesture. “Sorry. Are you okay?”

Lance watched the two if them, his panic being replaced with suspicion. “Who are you? Where am I?”

“I’m Shiro, and this is Keith. We’re on the Castle of Lions. Do you remember us rescuing you?”

Lance blinked a few times, gaze flickering between the two of them. Keith could almost see the gears turning in his head as he tried to recall what had happened. After a moment, he finally said, “…Yeah… You guys said you were the Paladins of Voltron. Is… is that true?”

Shiro nodded grimly. “Unfortunately, the old Paladins are gone. I’m the Black Paladin, and Keith is the Red Paladin. I promise we’ll explain more later. We just want you to heal up a little first. Is that okay?”

“Do I really have any choice?”

Keith glanced at Shiro, who had pressed his mouth into a thin line. He could only guess what his brother was thinking. Instead of gracing Lance with an answer, Shiro stood up. “I’m going to get Coran. I’m sure he’s a lot better at this than I am. Keith, can you watch Lance for a little bit?”

Keith gave him a curt nod. “Yeah.”

Shiro gave him a grateful smile, then made his way to the door. Keith replaced him on the chair, not bothering to get too comfortable. Shiro will be back in a few dobashes anyways.

Keith glanced at the Altean. Lance was watching him, but as soon as Keith noticed, he turned his attention to the ceiling.

There was a few ticks of awkward silence. Lance closed his eyes, and Keith was afraid he might fall asleep again. He took a deep breath, considering something he could ask.

“Princess Allura.”

“Huh?” Lance was looking at Keith, a weird look on his face.

“You recognized Princess Allura before. Do you… know her?”

Lance relaxed into his bed, though he stared at Keith through the corner of his eye. Chuckling, he replied, “Who doesn’t know the Princess?” Keith was not satisfied with that answer, and did his best to convey it. Lance rolled his eyes, but continued. “I know of her. I was just surprised to see she was part of the rescue party.”

Keith nodded in understanding. Though he had never put much thought into it, it made sense that someone from Altea - from before the war - would know the Princess. He couldn’t help but wonder just how popular she was then.

“So… what’s the last thing you remember?” Keith winced as soon as the words left his mouth. This was something that should have waited until Coran and Shiro was here, when Lance wasn’t injured. He couldn’t help but be curious, okay?

Lance turned away, his eyes holding a far away look. “I… I don’t-”

“Forget I said anything. That was stupid to ask.”

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, it kinda was. Is it my turn to ask a stupid question?”

Oh no, was all Keith could think before he nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Your ears. Why are they so weird?”

Keith sputtered, his mind immediately tracking back to when he first met Allura. He had caught her when she fell out of the pod, and to say thanks, she called his ears hideous. “What’s up with you Alteans and our ears?!”

“Huh?” Was all Lance managed to get out before the infirmary doors opened, and Coran and Shiro walked in.

“Ah, good to see you awake, lad.”

Keith helped Lance into a sitting position while Coran retrieved his scanner. As he checked Lance’s vitals, he asked, “And how are you feeling, my boy?”

“Like the life has been drained out of me, then stuck inside a freezer several times to save it.”

“I’m not surprised, considering how long you were inside one.”

Lance’s eyes widened at that. “How long was I in there?!”

Coran shared a look with Shiro and Keith, considering how best to answer. “…I hate to keep you in the dark, but I believe we should wait before we answer all of your questions. There is a lot you missed, lad, and you need to be in better health before you hear it.”

Lance crossed his arms, wincing as it pulled at his injuries. He pouted, staring pointedly at Coran. When the adviser refused to relent, Lance finally did. “…Fine.”

Coran brightened at that, and put his scanner away. “Good to hear. Now, according to my scanner, the drugs have mostly left your system. You can hop inside the healing pod-” Lance turned green at this “-if you can handle it, of course. It is entirely up to you.”

¤¤¤

They couldn’t convince him.

Coran had been regretful to inform Allura, because it was beginning to give her a list of concerns. At least the only other thing on her list was the Blue Lion.

She couldn’t decide which one worried her most.

It was the latter problem that had her where she was currently at, walking the halls of the castle, towards the Blue Lion’s hangar, everyone asleep. She hated herself for not realizing her missing connection with the lion. Allura only realized the connection was gone when they had been about to return to the Galra ship, and the Blue Lion’s particle barrier had been raised, no longer accepting the Princess.

She couldn’t help but feel that she had failed her father.

“Princess, perhaps this should wait,” Coran advised from only a few steps behind. “You need your rest.”

Allura shook her head. “Coran, what if we need Voltron? There is too much at stake. The universe can not afford for me to lose our bond.”

She glanced at him to see his reaction. Coran looked like he wanted to say something, but withheld. It didn’t matter whether he said it or not - she knew what he was thinking. She never really had a bond with the lion, did she?

Allura found herself glad the mice were still sleeping in her room. They only would’ve voiced her thoughts out loud. Even if they were just squeaks, she didn’t want to hear it.

Finally, the two reached the hangar. The doors opened, and Allura and Coran gasped at the sight before them.

“Lance!” The Princess cried, running into the room, Coran at her heels. “What are you doing in here?!”

Said Altean flinched from his spot between the paws of the Blue Lion. He looked over at Allura and Coran, then glanced back at the Blue Lion, before back at them.

“Sorry,” he said, looking surprisingly calm after his initial fear. “She’s been calling me all day. I finally came to see her.”

Allura stared up at the Blue Lion. She gasped with realization. “You are the Blue Paladin. That is why she would not bond with me. She knew you were alive.”

Lance winced at that. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take your lion.”

Allura sighed, feeling guilty over Lance’s guilt. “I respect the Blue Lion’s choice.” She placed a gentle hand on Lance’s shoulder. “If I were to lose the Blue Lion, I am glad it was to you, a fellow Altean.”

“Well said, Princess,” Coran smiled from behind her.

Lance closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. “Our people are gone, aren’t they Princess?” he asked quietly.

She inhaled sharply. “Yes, they are,” she answered, speaking softly. “We did not want to reveal it until you felt better. How did you figure this out?”

“I heard a druid talk about trying not to kill any of us since there weren’t many left. I thought they just meant there weren’t many prisoners left. But I haven’t seen any other Alteans on this ship.”

Allura and Coran closed their eyes as well, allowing silence to bask the three of them. This was the first time since any of them woke up to mourn for their home planet.

“How long has it been, Princess?” Lance quietly broke the silence. He held his breath, eager, yet scared to hear the answer.

Allura glanced at her adviser. After a moment of hesitation, he gave her a slow nod.

“Ten thousand deca-phoebs.”

She was sure that if lance hadn’t already been sitting, he would’ve collapsed. Allura herself nearly did so when she found out.

“…My family…” was the only thing Lance whispered, before a heavy silence fell onto the three.


End file.
